Traditional circuit breakers make use of current limiting fuses and shunt tripping devices. While these circuit breakers prevent electrical power surges from damaging electrical circuitry, they frequently do not address the problem of arcing faults. This is a significant oversight because arc faults are frequently the cause of fires and damage to equipment. To address the issue of arc faults optical sensors have been incorporated into traditional circuit breakers. These optical sensors detect the light generated by an arc fault and then generate signals that cause the circuit to be opened. This is a beneficial point of redundancy, however, many arc fault detection systems do not respond fast enough to prevent electrical damage.
The objective of the present invention is to overcome these problems. By employing the use of an optically triggered circuit breaking system, the present invention is able to reduce the damage resulting from arc faults. In addition to an optically triggered circuit breaking system, the present invention makes use of traditional current and voltage controlled trip switches to mitigate the damage caused by arc faults and electrical overcurrent.